The Sync Tool is a utility which was created in order to provide a simple way to move files from a local file system to DuraCloud.
Download installers for Mac OSX, Windows, or Linux from the DuraCloud Downloads page. |
The Sync Tool requires that Java version 7 or above be installed on your system in order to run. The installers for your operating system will check to make sure that you have the correct version of Java and will prompt you to download and install Java if that is necessary. If you would like to update Java directly, it can be downloaded from here. If you are using a Mac and have questions about Java 7, you will likely find answers here. Due to issues which occasionally arise when attempting to install Java 7 on the Mac platform, an installer is provided which bundles Java 7, removing the need to perform a local installation. If you cannot use Java 7 on your platform now, you have the option of using an older version of either the Sync Tool (which is available here) or the Upload Tool (which is available here). This version of the Sync Tool only includes a command line interface. The Upload Tool provides a graphical interface (a GUI), but is not as full featured as the Sync Tool. |
The Sync Tool defaults to a graphical user interface.
Operational Notes
The Sync Tool provides a command line interface which can be executed directly, used in scripts, or used for scheduling sync activities (such as within a cron job.) The command line interface provides access to all feature of the Sync Tool, some of which are not available (yet) in the graphical interface.
As the Sync Tool transfers files to DuraCloud, it will attempt to capture certain types of metadata about each file, and include that information as part of the content item added to DuraCloud. The list below describes the metadata that is captured automatically. You have the option to add, update, or delete the properties of each file after it has been transferred to DuraCloud.
As the Sync Tool transfers your files to DuraCloud, it attempts to determine the mime type of each file based on the file's extension. If it cannot determine a mime type for a given file, that file's type is set to "application/octet-stream", which is a generic mime type for binary data. Select the "Edit" button on the DuraCloud web interface to change a file's mime type.
If you find that files with certain extensions are not being mapped as you would prefer, you can always change the value on uploaded files from within DuraCloud. If you would like to make sure that files with a given extension are given your preferred mime type during upload, you simply need to update the mapping file. The mapping of file extension to mime type is determined by a file included in your Java installation called content-types.properties. This file is usually located in the "lib" folder under your Java runtime installation directory. After making a copy of the original file as a backup, simply update it following the formatting conventions used throughout the file to include the mappings you prefer, then save the file. After making changes, you will need to re-start the Sync Tool to ensure that the changes are picked up properly.